BREAKING: Zapata County, Texas, under huge CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION for ELECTION FRAUD.
Phones and bank records seized from Zapata County's judge, sheriff, and justice of the peace. Texas AG investigators executed search warrants after affidavits alleged cash-for-votes, in-person ballot coaching, and ticket-fixing in Democratic primaries in this small border county.
Texas AG Election Integrity Unit launched the probe in September 2025. Warrants were executed in July 2026 at homes of:
- County Judge Joe Rathmell and wife Gina Rathmell.
- Sheriff Ramon Montes and wife Sonia Sanchez.
- Sheriff’s secretary Norma Garcia and husband Corando Barrera.
- Campaign worker Laura Garza, worked for both Montes and Rathmell.
- Justice of the Peace Olga Bruni.
Joe and Gina Rathmell + Laura Garza are accused of vote harvesting, compensating people to interact with voters in the presence of their official ballot to get votes for a specific candidate. Affidavits cite witness statements, video, bank records, and texts. Gina Rathmell is specifically named as compensating individuals for that purpose.
Ramon Montes is accused of vote harvesting and bribery. Campaign staff allegedly paid voters $20–$25 and transporters $50, cash was withdrawn from the campaign account. His wife Sonia Sanchez allegedly walked voters into the courthouse, guided their ballots, and told them to vote for him. Texts allegedly sent lists of people for citation dismissals along with voter ID numbers.
Corando Barrera is accused of Bribery and withdrawing campaign cash and paying voters, per video, bank records, and witness statements.
Olga Bruni is accused of bribery and abuse of official capacity. Allegedly dismissed citations and community-service hours in exchange for votes for Montes, 2024, and for Rathmell and herself, 2026. Investigators cite 100 dismissals in the year before the 2024 election and hundreds during a former employee’s tenure. Witnesses say she asked for voter names when citations were removed and told people to "help her out for her election." Affidavits also allege misuse of government property, services, and personnel.
The evidence investigators have is overwhelming:
- Cooperating witnesses, including former JP staffer Veronica Alanis and Roman Guerrero.
- Video surveillance at the courthouse.
- Bank records and copies of checks.
- Text messages.
- Voters who said they were paid or directed how to vote.
- "Runners" who transported voters and received compensation, including free gas from a local meat market.
- Pattern of county employees, Martha Garcia for Bruni, Laura Garza for Rathmell, Norma Garcia for Montes, assisting large numbers of voters while allegedly telling them who to support
To understand a little background of the case and allegations, Democrat Martha Morales lost the March 2026 county judge primary to Rathmell by 66 votes and alleged duplicate ballots, registration irregularities, chain-of-custody problems, and improper assisted voting; her civil contest was dismissed on a statutory deadline.
Former Sheriff Raymundo Del Bosque lost the 2024 sheriff primary to Montes by 186 votes, lost his civil contest, and asked the AG and Secretary of State to investigate. Hundreds of voters requested assistance in these close races.